Rating her defence as her best asset, it’s easy to understand how Taneka Todhunter picked up the nickname ‘Sneak’ that she still answers to today.

Before rugby league took centre stage in her life, Todhunter was a talented basketballer.

She had dreams of being a WNBL player and represented Dubbo Rams in the Western Junior League, and was also a Western Region Academy of Sport member, but her main priority shifted to the 13-player code in her later teenage years.

So, how did she get the nickname Sneak?

“I actually got that from basketball,” she said. “At 12, I was tiny, and I was just very sneaky... (playing basketball) I’d come from behind and steal the ball off people; they wouldn’t see me coming.”

Now 18 games into her NRLW career at Parramatta, Todhunter sees defence as her greatest asset at hooker.

“I love playing hooker, it’s my best position,” she said. “I’m more than happy to play elsewhere if needed, but hooker is somewhere you should see me this year.”

Todhunter started 2025 in the number 14 jersey, being selected on the bench for the round one NRLW clash against Cronulla, and has continued in that jersey across the opening five rounds.

She has a challenge on her hands to make the starting side with Rueben Cherrington the starting nine, but Todhunter has never let hard work deter her.

Three years ago, she was finding life in Sydney difficult and was also without a NRLW club after being part of the Roosters’ extended squad when they won the rescheduled 2021 NRLW premiership in April, 2022.

She missed the official 2022 NRLW season later that year before Parramatta offered her a lifeline for 2023.

“Now that I’m in the NRLW it’s crazy looking back, the amount of time, effort, money and resilience myself and my family have,” she said. “To look at the journey of where I came from, and everything that I’ve done and my family has done, it’s insane.”

So, what made her keep fighting when times were tough three years back, working in civil construction and generally keeping to herself in the big city?

“My family, my community, my siblings, but also myself,” she said. “I had a point to prove within myself that I could make it.

“It’s hard to put into words, but when you are in a dark space, and you have to try and come out of that space, and always push yourself physically, it’s a different kind of strength. I just had to pull from deep within.”

Todhunter said she has always had strong women in her life who have overcome so many obstacles in life.

“I pull strength from that as well,” she said.

League news site nrl.com reports that Todhunter’s parents split when she was young. Both still play key functions in her life.

Her father Shawn is the “footy head”.

“I go to Dad to talk about my game, things I should improve. Even though he is very tough, he is very soft also. Anything footy related, it’s him,” she said.

How did she get into rugby league?

“I was always around it... my dad played, cousins, uncles played,” she said, recalling Shawn taught her to tackle from the age of three.

Her mother Tammy is the emotional backbone.

“She is probably the biggest emotional support person in my life,” she said. “Mum helps me mentally.”

Already being able to tackle at a young age, Todhunter wanted to play rugby league with the boys, but because she was so small, it wasn’t an option.

So she tried a variety of sports like indoor soccer, basketball and league tag.

“I had something on every day,” she said.

In terms of rugby league, she played a school match once and loved it.

Todhunter remembers later joining a Friday night women’s rugby league sevens competition in Dubbo where everyone just turned up and got into it.

People played in their own jerseys. Todhunter didn’t have one, so she lined-up in her school uniform. From there it was onto the Wiradjuri Goannas in the Western Women’s Rugby League.

The Goannas started her formal pathway, and she was able to go on to greater heights like linking with the Roosters and representing NSW Country and NSW State of Origin at under 19 level in 2021.

“I loved the Goannas,” she said. “I think of it as something that was such a big part of my life and my rugby league journey.

“The coaching staff and managers there, I still talk to them today. They had a big role in my rugby league, but also as a person. They were so kind, very caring.”

Todhunter is now contracted at Parramatta until the end of 2026 season and among many other accolades has represented the NRLW Prime Minister’s XIII.